Brominated polyphenylene oxides thermal degradation and action as fire-retardants for polymers

Combustion of char-forming polymeric systems

“…In addition, chemical modification of synthetic polymeric products can be achieved by treating them with various reagents: this can be effected, e.g., by bromination, chlorination, phosphorylation 9 ± 12 and polymer-analogous transformations aimed at incorporating halogen-and phosphoruscontaining groups into polymers and copolymers. 13 ± 15 This approach was used to obtain brominated polystyrene 16 and polyphenylene oxides, 17 copolymers of vinyl acetate, ethylene and derivatives of halogen-containing acids 18 and phosphoruscontaining epoxy resins (PER). Physical modification of polymers is based on the treatment of the polymer surface with various types of energy (plasma, thermal and laser beams, UV or IR irradiation, etc.).…”

“…High-molecular-weight bromine-containing fire retardants meet this demand. It was established 16,17,23 that thermal degradation of brominated polyphenylene oxides and polystyrene was not accompanied by the formation of highly toxic products either in the presence or in the absence of plastic materials. Fire retarding styrene-based plastics have been developed which contain high-molecular-weight fire retardants, their properties are comparable with those of styrene-based materials containing low-molecular-weight fire retardants.…”